Korea pushes military deal with Japan

By Jun Ji-hye

The Ministry of National Defense said Thursday that it will resume negotiations with Japan to sign a bilateral agreement on sharing intelligence on North Korea.

Four years ago, the two countries were very close to signing the so-called General Security of Military Intelligence Agreement (GSOMIA) under the Lee Myung-bak administration. However, the signing fell through at the last minute due to fierce public criticism here of the government’s secretive handling of a sensitive military deal with the former colonial ruler.

The timing of the announcement this time is also controversial. Some critics said that the ministry is deliberately pushing for the sensitive signing while public attention has been focused on news about President Park Geun-hye’s scandal-ridden confidant, Choi Soon-sil.

“This is obviously not an appropriate time for the announcement of such a sensitive issue,” a source said. “This is when all the public attention is on the Choi scandal. The timing is obviously controversial.”

In explaining the reason for resuming the negotiations, the ministry cited ever-growing threats from North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile programs.

Currently, Seoul and Tokyo are indirectly exchanging intelligence on the North’s military activities through Washington under a trilateral sharing pact signed at the end of 2014.

In response to Japan’s continuous calls for the resumption of the talks on the bilateral agreement, the ministry has so far maintained that “conditions” need to be created first to begin such a discussion, apparently wary of public resistance, which stems from the bitter memory of Japan’s 1910-1945 colonial rule and the country’s wrongdoings, including the Japanese soldiers’ use of Korean sex slaves during the war.

When asked about whether the ministry has decided that public sentiment is now ready to accept such an agreement, spokesman Moon Sang-gyun declined to comment during a regular briefing.

A ministry official said on condition of anonymity that to better respond to the North’s nuclear and missile threats, it was very important to promptly secure relevant intelligence. “The ministry assesses that expanding intelligence cooperation with Japan coincides with our security interests,” he said.

The official noted that it will seek understanding and support from the public and deal with the negotiations transparently, adding that the goal is to sign the agreement by the end of this year.

The two countries’ foreign ministries also confirmed the resumption of discussions.

“The decision came to resume talks that would allow the two countries to exchange military intelligence in the face of unprecedented nuclear and missile threats from North Korea,” Seoul’s Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam said in a press conference in Tokyo.

His Japanese counterpart Shinsuke Sugiyama said Tokyo will sincerely respond to the decision.

“Military threats posed by North Korea (to neighboring countries) are now entering another elevated level. We need to respond differently,” he said.